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Residents are seen walking on a road submerged in water after heavy rains in Dindela village in Nkomazi, Mpumalanga in this image captured on 19 January 2026.
Residents of Shatale in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, are hoping to hear how government will assist families severely affected by recent floods in their area.
The Bushbuckridge Municipality is among the municipalities affected by the floods. Infrastructure including roads, bridges and houses were destroyed last month.
Resident Kamogelo Thibela’s house collapsed, leaving her and her two children seeking shelter from relatives.
Thibela hopes President Cyril Ramaphosa can assist with housing and with fixing roads.
“I want the president to assist me with a house so that I can have a place to stay. They must also fix our roads because they are inaccessible due to the severe flood damages. We now walk long distances. They must also assist other families whose houses were also affected because it is not easy to lose your home and having to seek accommodation.”
Another resident, Lonas Mnisi, says the president has been making promises that his government doesn’t keep.
“There’s nobody who can help us because president is up there but here, down here, we have ward leaders, councillors, mayor, those who should do the work. But president, I don’t think he will jump from up there and come where we are staying and help us. Please people, those who are working with the president like our ward leaders, just help us. Since November, I didn’t even move from my home because the roads are worn out.”
Unemployment, water and electricity issues
Meanwhile, young people in the rural Nkomazi Municipality east of Mbombela, say they expect Ramaphosa to address issues including youth unemployment and government’s plans to tackle corruption in municipalities.
Water and electricity are other salient issues.
“I’m expecting the president to address youth unemployment. The unemployment rate is so high for our youth and he must address issues that we are facing with municipalities, especially with regard to water and electricity because we do not have. As you can see, I’m going to buy water because we don’t have water, it’s been almost two months. We also have load reduction. Ever since load shedding, we have load reduction almost every day,” says one resident.
Another resident says: “What I am expecting from the president is he that he must address the issue of unemployment rate, I just want to hear solutions.”
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